On 8 July, SIPRI took part in the AI for Good summit in Geneva. The summit—a United Nations platform dedicated to solving global challenges with artificial intelligence—was organized by the International Communication Union and co-convened with the Government of Switzerland. This year's summit brought together over 11 000 experts, practitioners and decision makers from the global AI community.
Jules Palayer, Researcher in the SIPRI Governance of AI Programme, addressed the conference, speaking about the risks that civilian AI technology can pose to international peace and security, and on the need to identify and mitigate such risks early in the AI lifecycle.
Palayer delivered his presentation together with Charles Ovink, Political Affairs Officer, UN Office of Disarmament Affairs (UNODA), and Vivianne Manlai, Talos International Governance Fellow and former intern in the SIPRI Governance of AI Programme. They underscored the role of education in promoting responsible AI innovation and helping AI practitioners identify and address AI risks, particularly relating to the misuse of civilian AI.
The presentation built on insights from SIPRI and UNODA’s joint initiative on responsible AI innovation, funded by the European Union. In July, UNODA and SIPRI launched the ‘Handbook on Responsible Innovation in AI for International Peace and Security’, designed to equip AI educators, students and practitioners to innovate responsibly, paying attention to how their work can have downstream consequences for international peace and security.